


The Fall of the Eternal City

by sailorgreywolf



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorgreywolf/pseuds/sailorgreywolf
Summary: After years of conflict with the Roman empire, the Germanic tribes sack the heart of the empire. However, there is a conspicuous absence that puzzled all of those involved.One note about this story: My primary goal is to provide a look at the Germanic tribes that isn't a monolith. The actual historical tribes were quite diverse, and they were often in conflict with each other. I have maintained calling the canon character 'Germania,' but he is effectively the Visigoths in this story. Keeping his name is my way of showing that he is the canon character.





	The Fall of the Eternal City

There was chaos in the streets as the warrior moved through the city. There were people fleeing to their churches for sanctuary, carrying what they could with them. It was a futile attempt to retain some of their valuables.

It would be very little use. By the end of the month, the greatest prize in the world would be picked clean of its riches and its gold would be carried North. Germania had promised his warriors that they could take whatever they wanted in exchange for the long journey.

He was certain that they would all be satisfied, since there was more than enough gold in Rome that it would be impossible to carry it all back. It would also be impossible to make use of that much gold in a lifetime. The corpse of the city would provide for everyone once the giant was slain.

As Germania walked through the carnage, he had no interest in the prospect of treasure. He would not have made such a long and tedious journey from Aachen just for spoils. He could find those closer to home.

His goal was more personal, and he was single-minded. There was a broken friendship to be avenged, and so many broken promises. Rome had been his friend, and at a time there had been a comfortable agreement between them. But power had been his friend’s greatest undoing, and it had turned him into a man that Germania did not know.

Promises had been empty, and easily tossed aside as Rome had become more and more paranoid that someone was going to take his power from him. He was the one who had treated his friends as enemies.

The Germans had mistreated far too much to ignore the weakness in the Roman lines. When Alaric had suggested the ultimate vengeance, Germania could not have possibly denied him. He told himself that if he had not turned on Rome, then one of his relatives would have. As much as Rome wanted to believe that Germania had power over the others, it had never been true.

He hoped that it was not an excuse that he was telling himself to soothe his own conscious. Betrayal of a friend, even a fair-weather friend, did not sit well on his heart.

As he climbed the steps to the imperial palace, he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. He had been to the city many times before, and it seemed like the city had already emptied out. There were some soldiers to be sure, but they seemed to be few.

As he contemplated the eagle above the carved doors, it dawned on him that this was not at all what he was expecting. He had thought that Rome would meet him with a full company of centurions and defend his home to the last. Germania had prepared himself for the confrontation.

Rome had sent emissaries to negotiate the breaking of the siege, but that had seemed like a proud man refusing to believe that he was defeated. This absence was strange for him, because Rome could never have been such a coward.

Germania was so lost in thought that he failed to notice a Roman soldier approaching, sword in hand, until he heard the war cry. He turned to face his enemy, a moment later that he should have.

As he realized his mistake, the head of a spear came out of the center of his chest. The soldier looked as shocked by his own death as Germania was.

The man collapsed, and Ostrogoth pulled her spear from the corpse. Then she tucked a loose piece of dark hair behind her ear, as though killing Romans was no difficult task. She said, with a smile, “Do you need help, brother?”

Germania shook off any misgivings about the situation, and answered her question, “No, I intend to kill Romulus on my own.”

Capable as his family was, he felt like Rome’s death should be at his hands alone. There was no other way that their long relationship could end. She glanced around, her violet eyes full of blood lust, and said, “Where is he then? His heart is falling and he is hiding like a hunted hare.”

Germania shook his head, since he was not certain of the answer, and said, “This is strange. It isn’t like him to refuse battle when it is offered.”

How could the man who had faced Gaul, Egypt, and Persia be afraid? It made very little sense.

The statement got very little sympathy from his sister, who said, “If he insists on hiding, then let’s drive the hare from his burrow.”

Germania nodded and drew his sword. If there was a trap behind the door, he wanted to be prepared. Then he pushed open the heavy door.

The palace looked like it had already been looted, but poorly. There were object thrown around like someone had packed in a hurry. Rome’s careful grandeur was scattered on the floor.

Germania was certain that his shock was all over his face. He did not understand what had happened, but it was evident to him that Rome was gone. If he had any intention of making a stand, this was where Rome would have done it.

He wasn’t going to hide in another room, so there was no point in looking for him. Vain as he was, Rome was not going to let himself be pulled out of hiding like a scared child. Germania knew him at least that well.

He turned to his sister, and voiced the revelation, “Romulus is not in the city. He is gone.”

There was a strange finality to knowing that the mighty Roman empire had turned tail and ran. Ostrogoth looked equally surprised, though there was still a suggestion of a smile on her lips. She responded, “So much for his bravery. I think this means that we’re allowed to take whatever he left behind. He owes us something after all that he has done.”

Germania was still contemplating the strange turn of events as evening set in. The ecstatic fervor of victory was beginning to dissipate, since the warriors had satisfied their initial blood lust.

Germania knew that they would stay for days until they moved to pursue the rest of the Roman forces. This destruction was meant to be final, and that meant leaving all of the peninsula in ruins. But, this did not taste as sweet as he had anticipated, nor did it feel complete without knowing what had happened to Rome.

He was sitting in Rome’s palace, waiting for some revelation. It was the best place to host his allies, since he could make use of the ample luxury that Rome had left behind.

He poured himself a cup of wine as the others sorted through the spoils that had been piled on the mosaic floor. Most of them were his kin, though none as directly as his sister. Others were his former enemies who had agreed on this temporary alliance to topple a bigger threat.

When they had agreed to this expedition, it had been on the promise of Rome’s death. He was certain that they would not be happy that their prey was absent. For the moment, the splendor of Rome’s personal wealth seemed to be enough.

Ostrogoth pulled a cloak from the pile, and stroked the fine fabric appreciatively. It was deep imperial purple, embroidered with fine golden thread. It was the cloak of the emperor, and it was abandoned like the city.

She said, “This is very fine. I am going to keep it.”

There was a chuckle from the other end of the table, where Vandal sat with his shield and sword in front of him. He said, “And what are you going to do with that?” She turned to him with a teasing smirk and said, “Maybe I’ll make it into a wedding dress if someone is brave enough to have me.”

That got another chuckle as he caught the hint. Germania was not certain how long their flirtation had been happening, but it had almost made the voyage unbearable. If they really intended to get married, then someone would have to ask him first. He was still the head of the family, and elected leader of the German tribes.

Vandal replied, “After today, I am brave enough to take anyone. Come here.”

She smiled and complied. Germania felt particularly irritated by the display because his own thoughts were so far away from pleasure. It was not helped by Vandal turning to him and saying, “You can have anything you would like from my share of the plunder if you let me marry your sister.”

Germania answered shortly, “I will consider it.”

The last thing he wanted was to make a decision in his present state of mind. He saw the man recoil at the response. Vandal said, the mirth gone from his voice, “Have I not proven myself enough?” Ostrogoth put a hand to his face and said, “Don’t take it that way. Otto is just upset that his quarry escaped him.”

Germania did not like the look that appeared on the man’s face. It was the look of a very smug rival: the kind of joyless smirk that spoke of a sharp comment to come. As predictable as the tides, Vandal said, “Is he? I would think that it would put you in a better mood.”

That was enough for Germania to see the veiled insult. He countered, “What do you mean by that? Speak your mind clearly.”

The set of his shoulders made it clear that the other man was not backing down. He replied, “Very well. I think that you were too fond of that tyrant. I don’t know if you would have had the guts to give him what he deserved.”

The accusation hung in the air. Germania could feel his forehead wrinkle angrily. So, it seemed that his friendship with Rome was not so easily forgotten. He had guessed as much.

But he would not allow himself to take that kind of disrespect. He pulled a knife from his belt and planted it point down in the table. He met Vandal’s eyes and said, “I still have enough fight for you if you want to test my resolve.”

A look of concern passed over his sister’s face, like she knew exactly what he was capable of. But, before Vandal could respond, there was a noise at the door.

Germania turned to see his youngest sibling pushing it open. Saxony looked at the knife in the table and said, “I hope I’m not interrupting.You are never going to believe what I found.”

There was a tense silence while Saxony waited for an answer that did not come. He was young, but he knew decorum well enough to not enter without Germania’s permission.

Germania finally gave him a curt nod of approval. Saxony gently pulled a woman into the room by her bound hands.

Germania would have recognized the face of the emperor’s sister anywhere, even with how red it was from crying. Germania could hardly believe his luck in finding such a valuable hostage. It would be easy to ask for a handsome ransom in exchange.

She said, her voice shaking, “Please don’t hurt me.” Saxony patted her on the shoulder like he would to a soldier and said in perfect Latin, “I promise that I will not do anything, Princess.”

She looked skeptical, but did follow him to the table, where he helped her to a seat. Then he sat next to her, and put his hands on her bonds and said, “Please do not slap me again.”

Germania had a feeling that a scared hostage was not going to listen to the command. The look of amusement on Vandal’s face said that he did not believe it either.

As Saxony loosened the bonds, and she immediately raised her hand and slapped him.

Vandal laughed and said, “Congratulations, little one. Your first time being slapped by a woman.”

Germania pried his knife out of the table, which caused her to pause and stare at him in fear. He said, “We are going to ransom you, and we don't want to hurt you. But you will have to behave yourself.”

She seemed to let out some of the tension in her shoulders with the reassurance, though there was no doubt that she would not feel comfortable until she was back in comfortable Roman surroundings.

Vandal turned to Saxony and said, “Ask her where Rome ran to.”

Saxony looked momentarily confused, and glanced around like he had yet to notice Rome’s absence. Then he nodded and turned back to the mortal, and said, “Galla, dear, where is Romulus?”

The color drained from the woman’s face. Her lips were pale as she replied, “I don’t know. He went to the port a few days ago and left.”

Germania sighed deeply. He had hoped that there was a quick answer, but there were any number of places that Rome could reach by boat. It sounded exhausting and pointless to go to every port in the remaining empire to try to find him.

Rome was not worth that kind of effort when Germania would rather return home and bask in his own victory. He ran one hand through his hair and said, “If Romulus wants to die alone in exile like a coward, then I say we let him. I am not going to search the whole coast of Africa.”

He expected another accusation of being too merciful, because he was willing to let Rome fade alone and ashamed. But Vandal looked at him and said, “Very well. We’ll leave him to his miserable experience.”

\--------------------------------

Byzantium poured two cups of wine, trying to make sense of what was going on. His father had showed up without an explanation, and he was too dutiful to question it. If his father wanted to be in Constantinople, then he would allow it.

But he had a feeling of foreboding that he had not been able to shake. His father was not the kind of man to appear without warning and without any ceremony. He had also failed to make a single public appearance since he had arrived. It seemed to him that his father’s presence was a secret, but he had no idea why.

He walked out to the terrace with the glasses of wine in his hands. He placed one in front of his father.

Rome did not look up. He had his hand pressed to his chest, and there was a look of pain on his face. It was strange to see him looking so hurt and weak.

Byzantium decided that it was time to abandon formality. He said, “What is happening? Why are you here?” His father turned his grimacing face towards him, and answered, “My city has fallen. I feel it.”

Byzantium could not contain his surprise, and said, “What? Rome has fallen to the barbarians?”

His father gave him a singular pained look, and didn’t bother to give another answer. Byzantium was not satisfied, and asked, “If Rome has fallen then why are you here?”

Rome responded, “Because I will not be anyone’s trophy. If I died defending the city, who knows what they would do with my body. I will not give them the chance to parade me like a defeated foe.”

Byzantium could hardly respect the decision, and it surprised him that his father was so scared of death. He could not voice the thought, but he realized that death had probably never felt like a possibility to his father before. Even in the most vicious battles he had been confident that he could win.

But, as he sat across from his father, he had to know the answer to one question. He asked, “What do I say if someone asks about you.”

Rome waved away the question dismissively and said, “Tell them that I disappeared. It will be better that way.”


End file.
